Mental Health Information for Teens - Health Tips about Mental Wellness and Mental Illness

457 Pages·2010·3.61 MB·English

TEEN HEALTH SERIES
Third Edition
Mental Health
Information for Teens
Health Tips about Mental Wellness and
Mental Illness
Including Facts about Mental and Emotional Health, Depression and
Other Mood Disorders, Anxiety Disorders, Behavior Disorders, Self-Injury,
Psychosis, Schizophrenia, and More
Edited by Karen Bellenir
◆
Mental Health
Information
for Teens
Third Edition
◆
Third Edition
Mental Health
Information
for Teens
Health Tips about Mental Wellness
and Mental Illness
Including Facts about Mental and Emotional Health,
Depression and Other Mood Disorders, Anxiety Dis-
orders, Behavior Disorders, Self-Injury, Psychosis,
Schizophrenia, and More
◆
Edited by Karen Bellenir
P.O. Box 31-1640, Detroit, MI 48231
Bibliographic Note
Because this page cannot legibly accommodate all the copyright notices, the Bibliographic Note por-
tion of the Preface constitutes an extension of the copyright notice.
Edited by Karen Bellenir
Teen Health Series
Karen Bellenir, Managing Editor
David A. Cooke, M.D., Medical Consultant
Elizabeth Collins, Research and Permissions Coordinator
Cherry Edwards, Permissions Assistant
EdIndex, Services for Publishers, Indexers
* * *
Omnigraphics, Inc.
Matthew P. Barbour, Senior Vice President
Kevin M. Hayes, Operations Manager
* * *
Peter E. Ruffner, Publisher
Copyright © 2010 Omnigraphics, Inc.
ISBN 978-0-7808-1087-7
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Mental health information for teens : health tips about mental wellness and
mental illness including facts about mental and emotional health, depression
and other mood disorders, anxiety disorders, behavior disorders,
self-injury, psychosis, schizophrenia, and more / edited by Karen Bellenir.
-- 3rd ed.
p. cm.
Summary: "Provides basic consumer health information for teens about
mental illness and treatment, along with tips for maintaining mental and
emotional health. Includes index, resource information and recommendations
for further reading"--Provided by publisher.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-0-7808-1087-7 (hardcover : alk. paper) 1. Teenagers--Mental
health. 2. Adolescent psychology. 3. Child mental health. I. Bellenir, Karen.
RJ499.M419 2010
613'.0433--dc22
2010000806
Electronic or mechanical reproduction, including photography, recording, or any other information
storage and retrieval system for the purpose of resale is strictly prohibited without permission in writing
from the publisher.
The information in this publication was compiled from the sources cited and from other sources con-
sidered reliable. While every possible effort has been made to ensure reliability, the publisher will not
assume liability for damages caused by inaccuracies in the data, and makes no warranty, express or
implied, on the accuracy of the information contained herein.
This book is printed on acid-free paper meeting the ANSI Z39.48 Standard. The infinity symbol that
appears above indicates that the paper in this book meets that standard.
Printed in the United States
Table of Contents
Preface ........................................................................................................ ix
Part One: Maintaining Mental Wellness
Chapter 1—What Is Mental Health?....................................................... 3
Chapter 2—Coping With Life’s Challenges............................................ 9
Chapter 3—Resilience For Teens: Got Bounce? ....................................19
Chapter 4—Building Healthy Self-Esteem............................................23
Chapter 5—Coping With Stress ............................................................33
Chapter 6—Getting Along With Family And Friends..........................43
Chapter 7—Love, Romance, And Heartbreak.......................................57
Chapter 8—Dealing With Your Parents’ Divorce..................................67
Chapter 9—The Moving Blues ..............................................................73
Chapter 10—Dealing With Grief ............................................................79
Part Two: Mood And Anxiety Disorders
Chapter 11—Depression...........................................................................93
Chapter 12—Premenstrual Syndrome....................................................103
Chapter 13—Seasonal Affective Disorder..............................................113
vi
Chapter 14—Bipolar Disorder ...............................................................121
Chapter 15—Generalized Anxiety Disorder..........................................129
Chapter 16—Panic Disorder ..................................................................133
Chapter 17—Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder........................................137
Chapter 18—Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder ......................................149
Chapter 19—Social Phobia ....................................................................155
Chapter 20—Specific Phobias................................................................159
Part Three: Behavioral, Personality, And Psychotic Disorders
Chapter 21—Adjustment Disorders.......................................................167
Chapter 22—Conduct Disorder.............................................................171
Chapter 23—Intermittent Explosive Disorder
And Oppositional Defiant Disorder ................................175
Chapter 24—Impulse Control Disorders...............................................183
Chapter 25—Eating Disorders...............................................................193
Chapter 26—Compulsive Exercise.........................................................205
Chapter 27—Self-Injury.........................................................................209
Chapter 28—Factitious Disorders..........................................................213
Chapter 29—Personality Disorders........................................................219
Chapter 30—Borderline Personality Disorder.......................................231
Chapter 31—Psychosis ...........................................................................241
Chapter 32—Dissociative Disorders ......................................................249
Chapter 33—Schizophrenia....................................................................255
Chapter 34—Schizoaffective Disorder...................................................267
vii
Part Four: Getting Help For Mental Illness
Chapter 35—Mental Health Professionals:
What They Are And How To Find One.........................271
Chapter 36—Going To A Therapist ......................................................275
Chapter 37—Counseling And Therapy:
A Summary Of Mental Health Treatments.....................283
Chapter 38—Mental Health Medications .............................................291
Chapter 39—Electroconvulsive Therapy................................................299
Chapter 40—Alternative Approaches To Mental Health Care.............303
Chapter 41—St. John’s Wort..................................................................309
Chapter 42—Meditation ........................................................................315
Part Five: Other Issues Related To Mental Health In
Teens
Chapter 43—Abuse And Neglect...........................................................323
Chapter 44—Addiction ..........................................................................329
Chapter 45—Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder........................335
Chapter 46—Autism Spectrum Disorders.............................................343
Chapter 47—Bullying.............................................................................351
Chapter 48—Dating Abuse....................................................................357
Chapter 49—Learning Disabilities.........................................................365
Chapter 50—Puberty..............................................................................371
Chapter 51—Running Away ..................................................................379
Chapter 52—Suicide...............................................................................383
viii
Chapter 53—Tourette Syndrome...........................................................387
Chapter 54—Youth Violence..................................................................393
Part Six: If You Need More Information
Chapter 55—Crisis Helplines And Hotlines.........................................403
Chapter 56—A Directory Of Mental Health Organizations................407
Chapter 57—Additional Reading About Mental Wellness
And Mental Illness...........................................................417
Index .................................................................................................. 425
Preface
About This Book
While many young people recognize that physical fitness is important for
maintaining a healthy body, the importance of mental fitness for maintaining a
healthy mind and emotions is sometimes overlooked. Statistics suggest that nearly
one out of every five teens struggles with a mental health concern, and one in ten
suffers from a mental disorder severe enough to cause some level of impairment,
including poor academic performance, loss of friends, family conflict, faulty body
image, and difficulty making decisions. Compounding the problem is that fact
that many young people experience a long delay—sometimes decades—between
the onset of their symptoms and when they eventually seek treatment.
Mental Health Information for Teens, Third Edition offers updated informa-
tion about maintaining mental wellness and coping with a host of problems
that commonly occur during the adolescent years, including self-esteem is-
sues, stress overload, family problems, heartbreak, and grief. It describes the warn-
ing signs that may accompany mental health disorders such as depression, bi-
polar disorder, anxiety disorders, phobias, behavioral disorders, personality dis-
orders, psychoses, and schizophrenia. It also discusses the types of treatment
most commonly used by mental health professionals. Facts about alternative
approaches to mental health care are included, and the book concludes with direc-
tories of resources for help and support and suggestions for additional reading.
How To Use This Book
This book is divided into parts and chapters. Parts focus on broad areas
of interest; chapters are devoted to single topics within a part.
x
Part One: Maintaining Mental Wellness defines the concept of mental health
and offers information about the need to integrate many facets of life, in-
cluding how a person thinks, feels, and acts in varying situations. This in-
cludes responding to challenges, making decisions, building self-esteem,
handling stress, and developing relationships.
Part Two: Mood And Anxiety Disorders explains mental disorders character-
ized by abnormal variations in the emotional responses of sadness, enthusi-
asm, worry, and fear. Individual chapters describe risk factors, symptoms,
and treatments for these disorders, which include depression, bipolar disor-
der, panic disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and phobias.
Part Three: Behavioral, Personality, and Psychotic Disorders discusses the kinds
of mental disorders that influence how a person behaves, relates to others, or
perceives reality. Disorders that affect behavior include adjustment disorders,
eating disorders, and disorders associated with an inability to control impul-
sive urges. Personality disorders include paranoid, narcissistic, antisocial, and
dependent personalities, and psychotic disorders are those that include such
components as hallucinations, delusions, and interruptions in consciousness
while awake.
Part Four: Getting Help For Mental Illness offers suggestions for locating ap-
propriate services from mental health professionals, and it describes what to
expect during treatment. Various forms of counseling and therapy are ex-
plained, and a chapter on medications discusses commonly used mood sta-
bilizers, antipsychotics, and other psychiatric medications. Alternative ap-
proaches to mental health care are also discussed.
Part Five: Other Issues Related To Mental Health In Teens offers suggestions
for coping with common experiences and other disorders that may have a
direct impact on adolescent mental well-being. These include the experience
of abuse and violence, learning disabilities, and the often-confusing changes
that may accompany puberty.
Part Six: If You Need More Information provides a list of helplines for people
in crisis, a directory of mental health organizations, and suggestions for ad-
ditional reading.